Blue Grass Seminary Girls' Vacation Adventures Read online

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  "THE DAM IS GONE!" CRIED THE GIRL. "FLY FOR YOUR LIVES!"_Page 7._]

  The Blue Grass Seminary Girls' Vacation Adventures

  OR

  Shirley Willing to the Rescue

  By Carolyn Judson Burnett

  AUTHOR OF

  "The Blue Grass Seminary Girls' Christmas Holidays," "The Blue Grass Seminary Girls in the Mountains," "The Blue Grass Seminary Girls on the Water."

  A. L. BURT COMPANY

  PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

  Copyright, 1916 By A. L. Burt Company

  THE BLUE GRASS SEMINARY GIRLS' VACATION ADVENTURES

  THE BLUE GRASS SEMINARY GIRLS' VACATION ADVENTURES

  CHAPTER I.--THE BROKEN DAM.

  "The dam! The dam! The dam has broken!"

  Shirley Willing, with flaming eyes and tightly-clenched hands, jumpedquickly forward, and with her right hand seized the bridle of a horsethat was bearing a strange boy along the road, which ran near the river.

  The horse reared back on its haunches, frightened at the sudden halting.

  "The dam!" cried the young girl again. "Quick! The people must bewarned!"

  The face of the rider turned white.

  "What do you mean?" he shouted, fear stamped on every feature.

  Shirley's excitement fell from her like a cloak. She became quiet.

  "The Darret dam has been washed away," she answered, "and unless thepeople in the valley are warned immediately they will perish. There isone chance to save them. You are mounted. You can outrun the oncomingwall of water and save them. Away with you, quick! There is not a secondto spare!"

  "But," protested the boy, "the water may overtake me and I shall drown.We can climb to higher ground here and be safe."

  He tried to turn his horse's head to the east. But Shirley clung to therein.

  "And leave those people to drown, without warning?" she cried. "Youcoward! You are afraid!"

  "I----" the boy began, but Shirley cut his protest short.

  Releasing the bridle of the horse, she sprang quickly to the side of theanimal, seized the rider by the leg with both her strong, young handsand pulled quickly and vigorously. Unprepared for such action, the boycame tumbling to the ground in a sprawling heap.

  Quick as a flash Shirley leaped to the saddle and turned the horse'shead toward the valley. As she dug her heels into the animal's ribs,sending him forward with a jump, she called over her shoulder to theboy, who sat still dazed at the sudden danger:

  "Get to safety the best way you can, you coward!"

  Under the firm touch of the girl's hand on the rein the horse sped ondown the valley.

  It was a mad race with death and Shirley knew it. But she realized thathuman lives were at stake and she did not hesitate.

  To the left of the road down which she sped lay high ground and safety,while coming down the valley, perhaps a mile in the rear, poured a densewall of water, coming as swift as the wind.

  For days the Mississippi and its tributaries had been rising rapidly andsteadily. Along the lowlands in that part of the state of Illinois, justsouth of Cairo, where Shirley Willing had been visiting friends, fearsthat the Darret dam, three miles up one of these tributary streams,would give way, had been entertained.

  Some families, therefore, had moved their perishable belongings tohigher ground, where they would be beyond the sweep of the waters shouldthe dam break.

  Then suddenly, without warning, the dam had gone.

  The home where Shirley had been visiting was a farmhouse, and the cry ofdanger had been received by telephone. Those in the house had been askedto repeat the warning to families further down the valley. But thefierce wind that was raging had, at almost that very moment, blown downall wires.

  Shirley, in spite of the fact that she, with the others, could easilyhave reached the safety afforded by higher ground a short distance away,had thought only of those whose lives would be snuffed out if they werenot warned.

  She had decided that she would warn them herself. She ran from the houseto the stable, where one single horse had been left.

  But the seriousness of the situation seemed to have been carried to theanimal, and when Shirley had attempted to slip a bridle over his head hestruck out violently with his fore feet. As the girl sprang back, hedashed from the stable.

  Shirley ran after him and followed him into the road. There sheencountered a rider; and the conversation with which this story beginstook place.

  As the girl sped down the road, she could hear from far behind, the roarof the waters as they came tumbling after her.

  A farmhouse came into sight. A man, a woman and several children cameout, attracted by the galloping hoofbeats. Without checking the speed ofher mount a single instant, Shirley guided the horse close to them.

  "The dam! The dam!" she shouted, as she flashed by.

  No other words were necessary. Without stopping to gather up any oftheir effects, they all turned their faces and rushed for higher ground.

  A second, a third, and a fourth farmhouse came into view, and as sheflashed by, the girl hurled her warning at each.

  Half a mile below lay the little town of Stanley. It was for this thatShirley was headed, in her race with the rushing water.

  The roar behind her became louder, and Shirley, leaning over her horse'sneck, urged him to further efforts with soft and coaxing words.

  The noble animal, seeming to realize that he was upon a message of lifeor death, responded, and it seemed that he must have winged feet, solightly and swiftly did he fly over the ground.

  But the roaring wall of water came closer.

  Shirley uttered a cry of relief. Before her she made out the first housein the little town. The sounds of the clattering hoofs on the hardmacadamized road drew the residents from their homes. Several hadgathered in a little knot as Shirley approached. Evidently they had notheard the sound of the roaring waters.

  "The dam has gone!" cried the girl, as she came up to them, and rode bywithout checking the speed of her horse. "_Fly_ for your lives!"

  Instantly all became bustle and confusion. The word was passed like aflash and almost as one man the town poured from its homes and dashedfor safety.

  Clear through the town the young girl rode, calling out her warning.Then, and not until then, did she check her horse and turn his headtoward the safety that lay in the east.

  A man ran up to her.

  "The Hendersons!" he cried. "They left here not five minutes ago intheir buggy. The water will catch them on the road!"

  Without a word, Shirley turned her horse and would have dashed forwardhad not the man caught the bridle.

  "It's death to you!" he cried.

  "It's death to them if I don't make it!" cried Shirley.

  She dug her heels into the animal's flanks and the horse shook off thedetaining hand with a quick twitch of his head. Evidently he, as well asthe girl, realized his responsibility.

  Once more, under the guiding hand, he dashed forward as if it were wingsthat carried him so lightly and swiftly over the ground. And as he flewon, Shirley patted him softly on the neck and spoke low words ofencouragement.

  The noble animal's ears stood straight and there was fire in his eyes.He seemed to say: "We will save them if i
t is possible."

  Rounding a sudden turn in the road, Shirley made out a buggy goingleisurely along. At the same moment the roar of the water came moreplainly to her ears.

  She raised her voice in a shout that rose above the sound of roaringwater behind--rose above the sounds of clattering hoofs and above thevoices of the occupants of the buggy themselves.

  The buggy stopped, the man's face peered out. As he saw Shirley dashingalong the road after him, a sudden understanding of what was wrong cameto him. Raising an arm, he waved it as a signal that the girl's warninghad been understood, and started his horse on a run.

  Shirley breathed a great sigh of relief and dashed on after the buggy,which was now going at terrific speed, rocking crazily and threateningevery moment to turn over in the road.

  Coming suddenly to an open field at the left side of the road, the mansent the buggy dashing across it, and made, as fast as his horse couldgo, for a point where the ground rose sheer for perhaps a hundred feet.

  Shirley sped after the buggy.

  Coming to this abrupt rise, they were forced to search for a means ofclambering up it. The woman in the buggy, at the man's command, sprangfrom the seat and dashed hurriedly up the steep hill. The man in themeantime stopped to unhitch his horse, that the animal might have achance for its life.

  Turning in her saddle, Shirley cried out in sudden fear.

  Behind, so close that it seemed to be right upon her and bearing downwith tremendous speed, came a solid wall of water, many feet high.

  With a cry to her horse, the girl turned his head squarely to the hill.With his nostrils extended and his eyes dilated with fear, the animalsprang at it. With his light burden he gained a foothold and dashed upas fast as his weary limbs could carry him. Once he came to a place thatseemed too much for him; but the noble steed made a last desperateeffort and succeeded in getting his forefeet on top of the level groundabove.

  With a single movement, Shirley flung herself from the saddle to thesafety of the high ground, and in another moment seized the bridle ofthe horse, just as he would have slipped back into the raging flood thatnow swept by below.

  Exerting her utmost strength--and it was by no means slight--shesucceeded in helping the animal to scramble to the summit.

  The occupants of the buggy had also succeeded in climbing to safety, butthe second horse had been carried away by the sweeping waters. Hendersonhad been unable to loosen the animal, as he was forced to hurry to thesupport of Mrs. Henderson, who, almost in safety, had fainted and wouldhave fallen back, had her husband's arm not caught her.

  From this refuge, the three watched the waters as they swirled by withtremendous force. Kicking animals, sheds, barns and small houses,together with ruins and debris, swept past them, and more than once theyoung girl cried out in despair, as she realized the damage that hadbeen done by the water.

  The three had climbed to the very top of the hill, as the watersurrounded them on all sides. Gradually it rose, climbing closer andcloser to them. Shirley became alarmed and turned to Henderson, whostood near her, still supporting his wife.

  "Will it come this high, do you think, Mr. Henderson?"

  Henderson shook his head.

  "There is no telling," he replied quietly. "All we can do is to hope forthe best."

  All became silent, but their eyes were riveted upon the water as itclosed in on them.

  Now there was but perhaps twenty yards of dry ground, then fifteen, andstill the water rose. The rise continued until all stood in water, andthen it rose no higher.

  "Thank God!" said Henderson, calmly, looking at his wife. "We aresaved!"

  "Thank God, indeed," said Shirley softly, and she turned and stroked thehorse, who thrust his cold muzzle into her hand. "But for you," sheadded, patting him gently, "hundreds would have been drowned!"